Composer Robert Maggio

Q&A with Robert Maggio:

Award-winning Composer Reveals
Inspiration for Fall Series 2011 Piece

“Working with BalletX is a dream," says composer Robert Maggio.  "I feel a deep creative connection with the artistic vision of Co-Artistic directors Matt Neenan and Christine Cox, as well as the company." 

In 2005, Maggio composed the score for BalletX’s Vibrate, a World-Premierechoreographed by Neenan. He returns this season once again joining forces with Neenan in a collaborative venture for Fall Series 2011.  The all-new ballet is a part of the BalletX residency venture Inside the Mind of the Composer and Choreographer which draws inspiration from the cultural heritages and musical preferences of South Philadelphia’s Andrew Jackson Public School students.

BX: How did your Fall Series 2011 collaboration with Matthew Neenan originate?

RM: I was looking for an opportunity to create a new piece with Matt for BalletX and have developed numerous artist-in-residence projects over the past 15 years.  When I read about a call for proposals from the American Composer’s Forum, I immediately thought of BalletX.  Christine Cox tome me that BalletX loved doing community outreach work and had already developed a relationship with the Andrew Jackson Public.

BX: What was your inspiration for the work?

RM: This collaboration has been inspired by the musical and cultural interests of the students.  Matt, Christine, and I visited with them in the spring of 2011 and asked them to share with us the music and movement that they loved the most.  Many of them talked about the importance of mainstream pop music in their lives, particularly because it was music they all had in common.  Some of the students played their favorite songs on piano or guitar and sang along.  One student shared a traditional song from his native Nepal.  These songs, and the generous and passionate spirit with which the students shared them with us, formed the basis of the music for this collaboration.

BX: What do you hope audiences gain from this work?

RM: It’s always hard to know how a work will come across to an audience, particularly in the formative stages…I’m sure the piece will keep transforming until Opening Night.  I hope that I convey the passion and the internal beauty of the students I met.  When I first met them, I made recordings of them playing [their instruments] and singing, and that has served as a source of inspiration for me while writing the music.  I hope I can pass that inspiration along [to audiences]…and I hope they tap into the dynamic pulse of the [students’] world.

BX: Any final thoughts?

RM: I feel a deep connection with Matt and his choreography...The dancers are truly beautiful, technically superb, and emotionally connected.  I love the venue at the Wilma Theater too!  I have gone to BalletX performances every season, have told all my friends about them, and have brought my daughter along to concerts whenever possible.  Their artistry speaks to people of all ages.  I hope to work with them again and again in the years to come.  I find that collaborative work like this stretches my artistry and brings it to new levels and places I’d never have imagined if working alone.

Robert Maggio is has composed works for numerous theater productions including those at Yale Repertory Theater and Philadelphia Theater Company.  His orchestral music has been performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and many others.  He’s a recipient of multiple awards, fellowships, and grants, including the Pew and Guggenheim Fellowships.